With quarterback situation in question, Gators need support of run game

Florida could be without starting QB John Brantley vs. LSU

October 2, 2011|By Rachel George, Orlando Sentinel

GAINESVILLE – Florida coach Will Muschamp said last week that he's never seen a championship-caliber team with a mediocre run game.

So what does that reveal about the Gators following a 38-10 loss to Alabama? And what does that mean for an offense facing uncertainty at quarterback?

Probably not as much as Gator fans would hope, but the Tide did provide a better measuring stick than any of Florida's first four opponents. Now the question is how the Gators can run the ball against another top defense and generate an offense potentially without its starting quarterback.

Senior John Brantley left Saturday's game in the second quarter after a sack by Crimson Tide LB Courtney Upshaw. He did not return, and Muschamp classified it only as a lower body injury. He said the team wouldn't know more until Sunday.

Based on how serious it looked, Brantley could be out for this week's game at No. 1 LSU and possibly longer. That would leave true freshman Jeff Driskel as the team's starter.

"We lost John. That took the wind out of our sails a little bit as far as some of the things we were doing in the run game," Muschamp said after the Alabama game. "And we gotta find different ways to run the ball and stay balanced in what we do, but we moved the ball effectively in the first half."

To be sure, while the Tide was stuffing the run game, Brantley was putting together the best half of his career. He started with a 65-yard touchdown pass to Andre Debose and had 190 passing yards by the time he left with the injury.

That's more than he's had in any half of his 18 games as a starter and more than he's had in seven whole games.

Muschamp said after the game that he didn't think Brantley had been taken to the hospital during the second half of the game. In his absence, Driskel completed 2-of-6 passes for 14 yards and netted 18 yards rushing. He had a 31-yard run, the longest given up by the Alabama defense this year, but was sacked once.

His teammates expressed faith in his ability to run the team despite his youth.

"I can't speak for everybody else, but I'm fine with Driskel," said linebacker Jelani Jenkins. " I have a lot of confidence in Driskel and I've seen what he can do in practice. It gave me more of a challenge to step up on defense and keep giving our offense the ball. The more chances he has with the ball, the more he can make the big play."

As the defense held Alabama scoreless in the third quarter and kept UF within two touchdowns at 24-10, the offense struggled to move the ball. The Gators had 38 yards in the third and still struggled to run.

They had averaged 259 rushing yards per game, tops in the SEC, entering the game but finished with 15 yards on 29 carries. Senior RBs Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps had combined to average 182.8 yards per game but finished with eight.

"Jeff played well. Again, you've gotta give him a chance in the pocket and he didn't have much of a chance," said Muschamp. "Created a first down on third down there with a nice run, but again, didn't have many opportunities with what we were doing."

If Driskel starts this week, he'll need the support of the run game against an LSU defense that ranks second in the SEC against the run (60.4 ypg). The Tigers (5-0, 2-0) rank ninth in the conference against the pass but are led by sophomore CB Tyrann Mathieu, who leads the SEC in fumbles forced and recovered.

Muschamp said the Gators would have to regroup from the loss regardless who will quarterback the team this week.

"I don't think there's any question you're frustrated," he said. "And if you're a competitor, you should be."